Liquid fuel atomizer



J 2, 6 D. MEYER 3,015,449

' LIQUID FUEL ATOMIZER Filed Jan. 16, 1961 FIG.I' .0 .5

IN VEN TOR. DAVID MEYER BY 4e 40 44 H64 ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,015,449 Patented Jan. 2, 1962 3,015,449 LIQUID FUEL ATOMIZER David Meyer, Canton, Ohio, assignor to E. W. Bliss Company Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 83,112 6 Claims. (Cl. 239-417) This invention relates generally to an atomizing device for providing a highly combustible mixture of fuel. In particular, the invention relates to an atomizer for producing finely divided mixtures of liquid fuel, and highly mixed admixtures of gaseous fuels, which are highly combustible. This application is a continuation-in-part of my application, Serial Number 25,271, filed April 28, 1960.

Many of the liquid fuel atomizers heretofore known have provided means for atomizing liquid fuels, such as oil and other hydrocarbon liquids, into finely divided particles, and mixing the particles with air to produce a combustible mixture. Certain of these atomizers inject the fuel into the air stream in very small jets under high pressure, the general organization being such that the tiny jet openings may eventually become clogged with impurities normally expected in hydrocarbon fuels. Similar devices adapted for gaseous fuels may, likewise, be subjected to clogging by impurities contained in the gases. A review of the prior art fuel atomizer devices discloses many and varied arrangements of passageways and ports, some of which are very complex in nature. All of these devices have as an objective the provision of means for producing a very finely divided or highly mixed combustible substance.

Although some of these prior art devices have achieved a fair degree of atomization, as far as I am aware no prior art device other than that disclosed in my Patent 2,532,851 has been capable of producing a highly cornbustible mixture from liquid or gaseous fuels which is capable of substantially complete combustion.

I have found that my present invention is also capable of achieving a very high degree of atomization of liquid fuels, and an improved admixture of gaseous fuels for obtaining usbstantially complete combustion.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved fuel atomizer which is adapted to produce a highly combustible fuel mixture.

It is another object of my invention to provide a novel and improved liquid fuel atomizer which is less apt to clog from solid matter residues in the fuel oils, and which maintains a more even flow of fuel oil on low turndown, as well as better atomization at higher ranges of operation.

It is still another object ofmy invention to provide'a novel and improved fuel atomizer for producing highly mixed quantities of gaseous fuels which is less apt to clog from impurities contained in the gas stream.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a fuel atomizer in which liquid and gaseous fuels, and mixtures thereof, may be discharged from a nozzle having an improved diffusing member.

A still further object of the'invention is to provide a fuel atomizer having a novel fuel dififuser member encircling the fuel nozzle tip, whereby the fuel may be directed into atomizing gas streams in a novel and improved manner.

Other objects and advantages will be evident from the following description of a preferred form of the invention. The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and use, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged end view, partially sectioned, of the nozzle and diffuser element illustrated in FIG URE l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the nozzle tip and diffuser element taken along the line 3-301" FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the noLzle and diffuse-r elements illustrated in the preceding three figures.

The fuel atomizing means embodying the present invention is adapted to be used in conjunction with a burner or other means for producing combustion of fuel mixtures. Ato-mizer, as here used, includes the means for producing a finely, highly divided mixture of liquid fuel particles in a gas stream, also an admixture of gases. Atomization is used here in a generic sense, and includes the production of finely and highly divided liquid particles in a gaseous medium, and the process of highly and thoroughly mixing difierent gaseous particles together. The atomizing media suitable for use with both liquid and gaseous fuels, according to this invention, includes combustion supporting gases, as air :and oxygen, and combustible fuel gases, such as natural gas, acetylene, hydrogen, and the like.

The atomizer includes in its general organization the housing 10, having an interior Wall surface 14 which forms a longitudinal chamber or passage 15 coaxial with the housing. The front end of the housing preferably has a converging bore 16 communicating with the chamber 15, and having its front end open to form a nozzle 18. At one side of the housing 10, an inlet opening 20 is provided through the housing wall, preferably at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the housing, and said inlet opening is preferably threaded, as shown, so that the threaded end of the inlet pipe 22 may be engaged therein for supplying the atomizing gas media under pressure to the chamber 15. The gas pressure introduced through inlet 20 may vary from an ounce or so to several pounds depending on the characteristics of the fuel, i.e., the vis cosity of the liquid fuel. The lower the viscosity of the fuel oil, the lower the gas pressure required for atomization. v

A body member 26 is movably mounted in the passage 14 of the housing member 10 and projects rearwardly therefrom as more fully disclosed in my Patent 2,532,851. Preferably, a fuel tube 28 projects forwardly from the body member 26 and is coaxial with the bore 16 and the nozzle outlet 18. As shown, the fuel tube 28 may have its threaded portion 30 in engagement with the mating threaded portion of body member 26.

My improved fuel diffuser member is indicated generally at 32, and is formed on the front end of the fuel discharge tube 28; Diffuser member 32 may be adjusted longitudinally with respect to nozzle outlet 18 by shifting body member 26 along the longitudinal axis of the housing 10. In this way, the spread of the combustible mixture being discharged from the nozzle may be varied from a relatively wide cone resulting from the position of the diffuser member shown in FIGURE 1, to a relatively narrow cone if the diffuser member is withdrawn inside the converging bore portion 16 of passageway 14.

The diffuser member 32 includes a narrow passageway 34 (see FIGURE 3) which communicates with the central bore 36 of the fuel tube 28. On the end face 36 (see also FIGURE 2) of the diffuser member 32, I provide circumferentivailly spaced, radially extended, open-sided channel ways 38.

Slightly recessed behind the front face 36 of the difiuser member 32 are paired front and back lobes, designated 40 and 42, respectively, each pair being positioned above and slightly recessed behind, the corresponding opensided channelways'38. Six pairs of lobes, 49, 42, are shown by way of illustration, but it should be understood that more or less pairs may be utilized. I provide a channelway 38 for each pair of lobes 40 and 42, to assist in directing the flow of fuel, liquid or gas, to the proper areas for atomization. Each front lobe 40 may be provided with a chamfer 44 as best shown in FIGURE 4. Chamfers 44 are provided to prevent liquid fuel from collecting onthe outer rim of the front lobes 40 and dripping therefrom, as well as to provide an extended surface area over which the fuel (liquid or gaseous) may pass in order to be more completely atomized. Although the chamfers enhance the atomizing effect of the diffuser member, they are not required, and may be elimi nated if desired. Each front lobe 40 is also provided with a bore 46 passing from front to back. Bores 46 permit the fuel to be drawn through these bores, and in turn to be drawn to the outer edges of lobes 40 where the gas atomizing stream strips off the fuel.

Lobes 40 and 42 may have a substantially rectangular shape, as shown, or may have other profi es as elliptical or circular. The lobes 40 and 42 in each pair need not be axially aligned, but maybe offset slightly one with respect to another, such that the opening between two adjacent front lobes 40 slightly overlaps the opening between two adjacent rear lobes 42, or vice versa. Each pair of lobes 40 and 42 are spaced apart from adjacent pairs of lobes, circumferentially, to permit air to pass there between. a

I have found that the optimum relationship between the Width of lobes and space between the lobes is ob tained 'when the space between the lobes is approximately one-third the area of the lobes 40. With this relationship, a suflicient amountof atomizing gas may pass between the lobes 40 and 42 to properly atomize the fuel. The perimeter of the lobes 40 must further be sutficient in length to allow the proper amount of fuel to be spread along the edges of these lobes for proper atomization to take place between the fuel and gas.

Atomizing gas, under pressure, in accordance with criteria noted above, is funnelled through converging bore .16 to pass over, as well as between, lobes 40 and 42. Because of this design of an atomizer, I am able to obtain a more even distribution of the fuel around the perimeter of lobes 40, and hence a better fuel-atomizing gas mixture over a wider operating range. The movement of gas develops a vacuum between lobes 40 and 42 which opposes the flow of gas from orifice 18, such that the fuel is drawn in between lobes 40 and 42 and evenly distributed on the peripheral edges of the lobes. The movement of atomizing gas over the diffuser member 32 draws fuel from channel 34 intoopen-sided channels 38 and rearwardly into bores 46 where it is intercepted by the passage of gas just described to be atomized to form the fuel-gas mixture.

Because of the extreme agitation and atomization of the fuel discharging from lobes 40 and 42 into the main gas stream, the fuel may be fed by gravity flow, in the case of liquid fuels, from a reservoir through the fuel tube 28, and is not required to be injected under high pressure as is required by other liquid fuel prior art devices. Furthermore, because of the open-sided channellike passages 38, it is not possible for impurities in either gas or liquid fuels to retard movement of the fuel by collecting in restricted passageways.

The atomizer of this invention permits a high degree of flexibility in connection with the typeof fuels utilized, and the manner in which the fuels may be utilized. For example, if a liquid fuel is to be used, atomization may be obtained by introducing a combustion supporting gas, as air or oxygen, through inlet 20, to obtain a highly combustible mixture of liquid fuel and combustion supporting gas. 0r, a combustible gas may be introduced through inlet 20 for the purpose of ato'mizing a liquld fuel. In this case, the finely divided liquid fuel-combustible gas mixture may be subsequently combined with a combustion supporting gas for burning. Similarly, with gaseous fuels, additional combustible gases and/or combustion supporting gases may be introduced through inlet 20. In this instance, atomization would produce an admixture of the gaseous fuel and the atomizing media. If only combustible gases are used as the atomiz ing media, combustion supporting gases may be subsequently combined, as described with liquid fuels, for burning.

While herein shown and described are the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is contemplated that the invention is susceptible of embodiments in other forms, and is applicable to a variety of situations which will be readily suggested to those skilled in the 'art. The construction, the operation and use, and the preferred embodiment thereof, and advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby having been described, the new and useful constructions and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fuel atomizer device including a housing having an inlet port, a nozzle outlet communicating there with, a body member movably mounted in said housing and having a fuel inlet, a fuel discharge tip communicating with said fuel inlet and located at said nozzle out let, the improvement comprising: said tip having at least two circumferentially spaced, radial discharge channels in communication with the interior of said fuel discharge tip and terminating at their outer ends in front of corresponding axially spaced apart pairs of front andrear lobes, the front lobe of each said pairs of lobes having a bore passing therethrough, the rear lobe of each said pairs of lobes being imperforate, whereby fuel is drawn from the interior of said discharge tip along each of said channels and thereafter rearwardly through said bores in said front lobes and in between said pairs of lobes, for atomization with a gas stream under pressure passing over and between said pairs of lobes.

2. The fuel atomizer set forth in claim 1, wherein, said front lobe is radially shorter than said rear lobe.

3. The fuel atomizer set forth in claim 1, wherein, the front lobe of each pair is aligned with a corresponding open-sided channel in communication with the interior of said fuel tip.

4. The fuel atomizer set forth in claim 1, wherein, at said axially spaced apart pairs of lobes are recessed rearwardly from the face of said fuel discharge tip, said portion of said fuel discharge tip extending forward of said lobes being chamfered, and said channels being in communication between theinterior of said fuel discharge tip and said chamfered portion. a

5. The fuel atomizer set forth in claim 1, wherein said fuel tube member is provided with a bore communicating with said channels, and said channels are open-sided.

6. In a fuel atomizer device, including, in combustion: a housing having a nozzle outlet; means for atomizing a fuel communicating with said housing and nozzle outlet; a body member movably mounted in said housing and having a fuel inlet; a fuel discharge tip communicating with said fuel inlet and located at said nozzle outlet; a

5 6 plurality of circumferentially spaced, radial discharge zation with a gaseous medium under pressure from said channels in communication with the interior of said fuel atomizing means passing over and between said pairs of discharge tip terminating at their outer ends in front of lobes. corresponding pairs of circumferentially spaced apart lobes, the front lobe of each said pair of lobes having a 5 References Cited in the file of this Patent bore passing therethrough, whereby fuel is drawn from UNITED STATES PATENTS the interior of said discharge tip along each of said channels and thereafter rearwardly through said bores in said 2 532 5 Meyer 5, 1950 front lobes and in between said pairs of lobes for atomi- UNI'ITEDVVSTATES PATENTWOF'FIC'E CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Nd. 3 015 449 January 2 1962 David Meyer it is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as "corrected below.

Column l line 42 for "usbstantially" read sub' stantially --3 column 4 line 70,, for "combustion" read combination Signed and sealed this 22nd day of May 1962e (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer v Commissioner of Patents 

6. IN A FUEL ATOMIZER DEVICE, INCLUDING, IN COMBUSTION: A HOUSING HAVING A NOZZLE OUTLET; MEANS FOR ATOMIZING A FUEL COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HOUSING AND NOZZLE OUTLET; A BODY MEMBER MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A FUEL INLET; A FUEL DISCHARGE TIP COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FUEL INLET AND LOCATED AT SAID NOZZLE OUTLET; A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED, RADIAL DISCHARGE CHANNELS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID FUEL DISCHARGE TIP TERMINATING AT THEIR OUTER ENDS IN FRONT OF CORRESPONDING PAIRS OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED APART LOBES, THE FRONT LOBE OF EACH SAID PAIR OF LOBES HAVING A BORE PASSING THERETHROUGH, WHEREBY FUEL IS DRAWN FROM 